MFA Financial, Inc. $MFA Shares Acquired by BlackRock Inc.

Key Points

• BlackRock increased its MFA Financial stake by 3% in the second quarter, acquiring 271,707 additional shares and bringing its holdings to 9.46 million shares, or approximately 9.31% of the company.
• Institutional investors own 65.28% of MFA Financial, while the stock recently traded at $8.85—near its 52-week low of $8.77. The company also offers a quarterly dividend of $0.36 per share, representing a 16.3% annualized yield.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $10.46, above the recent share price.

BlackRock Inc. grew its stake in MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA - Free Report) by 3.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,459,988 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 271,707 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. owned approximately 9.31% of MFA Financial worth $91,667,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Headlands Technologies LLC boosted its position in MFA Financial by 62.3% during the second quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 2,992 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 1,149 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of MFA Financial by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 18,829 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $175,000 after acquiring an additional 1,211 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its position in shares of MFA Financial by 23.9% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 7,340 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $69,000 after acquiring an additional 1,417 shares during the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of MFA Financial by 1.4% in the second quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 102,007 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $965,000 after acquiring an additional 1,420 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP grew its holdings in MFA Financial by 20.7% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 8,774 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $82,000 after purchasing an additional 1,507 shares during the period. 65.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MFA Financial Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of MFA stock opened at $8.85 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $894.63 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.85 and a beta of 1.42. MFA Financial, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $8.77 and a fifty-two week high of $10.56. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $9.25 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $9.59.

MFA Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th were given a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 16.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 30th. MFA Financial's dividend payout ratio is 144.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on MFA shares. Weiss Ratings raised shares of MFA Financial from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on shares of MFA Financial from $11.00 to $10.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and set a $10.00 price objective on shares of MFA Financial in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "market outperform" rating on shares of MFA Financial in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Citizens Jmp reduced their target price on MFA Financial from $11.50 to $11.00 and set a "market outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $10.46.

About MFA Financial

MFA Financial, Inc, headquartered in New York City, is a real estate investment trust that specializes in investing in residential mortgage loans and mortgage-related securities. The company's primary objective is to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns through net interest income and capital appreciation. As a mortgage REIT, MFA Financial focuses on constructing a diversified portfolio of agency and non-agency residential mortgage assets, leveraging its expertise in acquiring, financing and servicing mortgage products.

MFA Financial's investment portfolio encompasses a wide range of mortgage instruments, including adjustable-rate and fixed-rate mortgage loans, interest-only securities, and agency mortgage-backed securities guaranteed by government-sponsored entities.

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